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Classic shaving foam that's great for my skin.

Introduction

I work in a job where I must be clean shaven, so as a result I get through a large amount of shaving products. I've tried most brands in all the various formats - foams, gels, oils, soap sticks etc, and the one I keep coming back to in between experimental buying of new products is the Palmolive Classic Shaving Foam.

Description

You only need a small amount of foam in your hand to cover the face, unless you've got a traffic cone nose and Jimmy Hill's chin. The foam is more of a thick whipped cream than a light and airy bubbly foam - very rich and substantial, the sort of white luxuriousness that a Guiness drinker would sell Ireland for to have as a head on a pint of the black stuff.

With this rich foam on my face giving a slight whiff of warm soapyness, I get the feeling that I'm using a quality product. Shaving foam's primary job is to retain moisture on the surface of the skin by trapping it - the thick barrier the foam provides is equivalent to trapping a fly in amber, there's no way the water is escaping. It holds moisture very well which makes shaving less painful and allows the blade to slide over your skin smoothly and not snag.

The foam rubs on very easily and sticks well to the skin. I'm not a chemist, but I think the glycerin in the ingredients helps the way it applies to the skin so readily. Other ingredients which enhance the foam's appeal are aloe extract and palm extract - both of which have moisturising qualities. I've found it to be very effective at moisturising - some shaving products can dry my skin out and make me prone to 'face dandruff', but not so with this foam. Also, I get far less shaving rash when using this foam compared to when I use lower quality shaving foams, like supermarket own brand value products.

Summary

18 years ago at the start of my shaving adventures, I may have thought that products which put substance over form were for old men, and preffered brands named after a swanky London hairdresser or a French word for 'male'. Now in my 30s, I shun the ignorance of youth and it's fickle 'must have a trendy label' tendencies, and now buy products with quality in mind. Palmolive Classic Shaving Foam is, in my opinion, a quality shaving foam that a) does it job superbly, b) is a very tactile and enjoyable experience to apply and use and c) is noticably good for my skin. Because of all this, I award the full five stars.

Price: often available in Poundland. Please don't ask how much for!

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worth getting

==Palmolive Classic Shave Foam==

I have just come to the end of this can of shaving foam which both Himself and I have been sharing (although he doesn't know it) and it seems to have taken us ages to use it all up. I am not one for spending a ton of money on these sorts of things because I already spend far too much money on razors and the blades to go with them. I have tried all sorts of different shaving foams and gels mainly depending on what is on offer or what is the cheapest that I can get my hands on.

I decided to pick this can up mainly because I was in Poundland at the time and needed to get some. I have come to the conclusion that the shaving foam is far batter than the gel type of product because generally I waste to much of the gel by it slipping off my legs in the shower before I have had a chance to foam it up.

==Price and Availability==

Like I say this can of shaving foam was purchased from Poundland which means that it cost £1. This is not a bad price because I think the general selling price of this product is stores such as Morrison's or Tesco's is around 20 add pence more than this so it is a little saving but a saving nonetheless. Comparing it to other named brands of shaving foam or gel this one comes in at a very good price and almost half of what a Gillette foam would cost you but then looking at shops own brands which can be picked up for as cheap as 30 odd pence for the Tesco value version it is looking like an expensive product!

This brand of shaving foam is always in Poundland and they seem to have a never-ending stock of the stuff and I have also seen it in the supermarkets that I have previously mentioned. It is a widely available product which doesn't vary too much in price but to be fair it is not the sort of product that I would go out of my way to hunt down, not that I would need to.

==Look and Design==

The design of the bottle means that I found it instantly recognisable as the Palmolive brand. The brand itself has been going a good number of years as I think this actual shaving foam has too. The look of the can is nothing flash or exciting but it lets you know exactly what the product is and what it is for and because of the pile of foam on the front it is not easy to mess it up with a gel type of shaving product, which is a good thing.

The plastic cap on the top of the can is the same as any other shaving foam can really and can be popped on and off with relative ease. The pump is depressed to allow the foam to be dispensed through a small nozzle at the front and it is a must that the can be given a good shake before hand to ensure that the foam and the air is pumped out evenly. If you don't shake the can and too much air is released you will end up with a ton of product that can't be pumped out the the can because it is no longer pressurised by the air.

The look and design of the can is nothing special but it is fit for purpose and I have had no troubles with using the can at all or having to hide it because it is a rubbish cheap looking design like the Tesco value one.

==General Use==

The foam comes out of the can quite quickly so it is worth only giving it a short press once you have shaken it all up. A little of the foam is really all you need to get a good coverage on the skin and thus getting a good shave. Too much of the foam means that the razor is easily clogged up and needs a lot more swooshing about in warm water. I find that one small squirt is enough to cover one entire leg comfortably.

The smell of the shaving foam is something that is noticeable especially to me as there is a really manly type of smell to it. Of course this is probably because the product is aimed at men to use and it was actually Himself's product which I have been shamelessly using. However I quite like the smell as far as it goes and thankfully the manly smell doesn't linger for any period after the foam has been used, shaved off and rinsed away. The smell is more apparent in the bathroom after using it rather than on my skin.

The foam acts as a very good barrier and works well at helping the razor blade glide across my skin without damaging it. There is a nice thickness to the shaving foam that you don't get with some foams and this meant that it really did go a long way and the can lasted the pair of use a good couple of months with Himself shaving every other day and me using it every few days.

The foam didn't make my legs feel especially moisturised but neither did they feel especially dry. I always give myself a good moisture when I have shaved my legs as I am prone to dry skin on this area and like to lube up a fair bit. The can claims that the foam is enriched with palm extract which is known for its hydrating capabilities so I guess that does help with not drying my skin out too much. Himself does seem quite pleased with the foam and says he likes it better than our last try out foam of the Tesco Value one.

=Overall Opinion==

I think for £1 and for the fact you get a good size of 200ml then this was a pretty good price. The shaving foam has a nice manly fragrance which doesn't last long on the skin but smells refreshing and clean. The product does work well against the harshness of shaving and easing the glide of the blade. A little goes a long way and I don't have to feel ashamed to own it (like Tesco's value one). All in all it has to be said that this can of Classic Shaving Foam from Palmolive is really rather good. I can find any fault with it whatsoever and would be more than happy to buy it again.

It has a better fragrance than the Tesco Value Foam and the can seemed to last longer too so although it cost a little more I guess this all has to be weighed up when buying it. I like it and so did Himself so I feel a 5 out of 5 star rating and a high recommendation is in order.